TF Dires
by Dragon with a Shotgun
Summary: Optimus Prime's pack is back (only if you have read antubis0's comics on Deviantart), and so is Megatron and his pack. Optimus's pack discovers a female and a pup who's pack was killed by Megatron's. Megatron has taken their sister captive and still hunts for survivors. Will they be able to rescue their sister? Or will she die at Megatron's paws? (TRANSFORMERS AS DIRE WOLVES)
1. Chapter 1

**TF Dires**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Hey, y'all! Ok, before anything, I give the credit for the inspiration to write this to antubis0 on Deviantart. If you like Transformers and you like wolves, then take a look at her work. Really great! Alright, if you have read her comics, Before Beginning, Beginning, Bumblebee, and Riverbank, this is the continuation after Riverbank. And also, I am naming Optimus's pack The River Pack, and Megatron's pack The Mountain Pack. Enjoy!**

**Chapter One**

"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker! Hurry up or you'll get left behind!"

One of the twins, Sideswipe, the red and grey one, grinned at Ironhide while he pinned his brother to the ground by holding his paw on his head.

"Ah, c'mon, 'Hide! Have some fun!"

Sunstreaker wriggled out from his brother's paws and, too, grinned.

"Yeah, but wait… you didn't get your name for nothing! You've never had fun before, so you were name's Ironhide!"

The twins then burst into laughter, both falling onto the ground and rolling around on their backs. Ironhide growled, his ears flattening and his tail rising. Bumblebee, who was closer up beside Ironhide, tilted his head and frowned at the twins.

"What was that supposed to mean?" the juvenile asked as he turned his head toward a very angered and bristled Ironhide.

Ironhide froze and, not wanting to snap at Bumblebee in his anger with the twins, sighed, took a deep breath, and put on a calm face when he turned his gaze to Bumblebee.

"Nothing, just the fact that we don't have time for fun right now, young one. Twins! Let's go!"

The four wolves then continued their trek after the twins got their act together. The small group had been traveling all morning in search of food for their pack. But they had little luck with their hunt. The deer had started moving about more and not staying in one place for very long with winter coming up, and other animals were disappearing. The geese and ducks had begun their journey south for the winter, so birds were off the menu unless they caught a flock taking a rest stop at one of the lakes or ponds surrounding their territory. Other animals were hibernating, such as mice, marmots, bats, and snakes. Bears were too much to risk, even if hibernating. A bear disturbed in its sleep was an angry bear. But either way, many animals had either migrated, or went into hibernation.

This morning, the four were on a scent trail of an injured deer, a lone bull elk. Bull elk were very dangerous animals, and could kill a wolf with a swipe of a hoof or by gouging it with an antler. Usually elk stayed in either small groups or large herds, but this one must have been injured a short time ago, and had gotten left behind when the herd went on the move. This might prove good for the Dires, but it also could be risky. They didn't know if the elk had passed into grey wolf territory or another dire wolf territory beyond their pack's borders. If so, then they'd either have to risk crossing and keep up the hunt, or turn back and try their luck somewhere else within their territory.

After a long period of time, Bumblebee started to find the trek boring. He looked around to see if anything could catch his attention and keep his mind occupied. He looked down at his paws. He saw Ironhide's large paw prints, and tried to match his feet with them. It was easy, since he'd grown much bigger than when he was a pup, almost as tall as Ratchet. He was a teenager now, and knew much more than even the twins. Well, at least that was what Ironhide had told him.

Ironhide turned his head slightly, smiling when he spotted Bumblebee behind him as he matched his footsteps. He thought for a moment, and then turned his head back to where he was facing. He widened his pace.

Bumblebee tilted his head, pausing for a moment, and then tried to match the steps again. But it was a bit harder, and he stumbled a few times as time went by. The twins saw this as they kept a steady pace behind him whenever they had to stop when he tripped.

"Hey, 'Bee," Sunstreaker said, "You're walking like you have human socks on your paws!"

Sideswipe laughed out loud, and Bumblebee fell again at their sudden outburst, having lost his concentration. He growled quietly and frowned at the twins with his ears flattened.

"Oh, go stuff a skunk in your nose!" he snapped, pushing himself up onto his paws.

Sunstreaker huffed. "I would stuff one in my mouth if I could find one at all. I'm so hungry, I'd even eat one!"

Bumblebee rolled his eyes at their laughter and continued to follow Ironhide, but this time not trying to match his paw prints. Ironhide smiled amusingly, having heard Bumblebee's words when the twins had laughed at him. He didn't interfere because he had been teaching Bumblebee how to handle certain situations on his own. The younger wolf had learned his own way of choosing his words, and used them a lot whenever he was upset. Bumblebee had gotten a cuff on the ear from Ratchet when he had accidently let a bad comment slip out when Ratchet was getting on to him about leaving the den alone.

But Bumblebee had formed his own opinions on things in the world, and had grown more observant. He didn't need Ironhide to protect him as much anymore. He was old enough to hunt small game now, and explored their territory on his own at times. He had grown bulkier too, and he'd lost his puppy belly. He was leaner, and looked more like an adult dire wolf now. Ironhide was proud of him. Bumblebee was like a son to him, ever since he chose to take care of him when he was a little pup. He missed those times when he was a little pup, when he told him bedtime stories and was able to hold him close with his paws. But now he was too old for those stories, and more interested in things that Ironhide had done in life, rather than legends and tales.

The twins had fallen back, and were having their own conversation some feet from Ironhide and Bumblebee. Ironhide was rather glad that they had. More peaceful. They were left in silence, and after a long time of walking, Bumblebee noticed something float from the sky and land on his nose. He looked at it with curiosity, before his nose felt cold, and then he sneezed.

Ironhide paused to look back at the youngster and, too, noticed something small, white, and almost invisible float down in front of his face. He looked up, and his heart was filled with dread when he saw a few more closing in from the cloudy, faded blue sky.

"Oh no..." he muttered before looking ahead. He lowered his head and sniffed the ground in several spots, and noted that knowing how cold it was, the snow would fall and stick to the ground. This would cause the elk's scent to be lost. They wouldn't be able to hunt with snow burying the scents of any potential prey.

Bumblebee tilted his head at his guardian, and stepped slowly up to his side.

"'Hide, what is wrong?" he asked.

Ironhide sighed, and looked at him with dreading eyes. "We might lose the scent of the elk in the snow."

Bumblebee twitched one of his ears, and looked up at the sky. "Well, maybe there won't be much snow, 'Hide. Maybe we'll get lucky."

The dark grey wolf shook his head. "It would take a lot of luck, kid. Too much luck. And the way the clouds look," He rose his head to motion upward. "There will be much snow."

The yellow youngster sighed, and turned his head toward behind them. The twins had been listening to Ironhide, and tilted their heads as if they were confused pups.

"So… what do we do?" Sideswipe asked.

Ironhide frowned, and looked back toward the direction the elk's tracks lead. Thoughts bounced around in his mind for a long moment. It was almost noon, and it would be a long trek back if the snow stuck and became deep. And the chance of them tracking down any prey would be quite slim. After some minutes, he sighed, and looked at the three wolves that stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"We will go back. We cannot hunt any longer." he announced, turning back toward the way they had come and starting to walk. The others looked at each other, heads tilted and eyes full of dread. They all knew that Ironhide was right. Food would be harder to find out in the snow, even if it was light. The snow would hide the tracks anyway. And besides, that elk could be in another pack's territory. So what was the point?

"C'mon, let's move! We're losing daylight."

The three looked toward Ironhide's direction. Bumblebee sighed quietly before trotting after him, along with the twins. They also knew that when they got home, the pack would be happy that they were home, but disappointed that they had come home without any food, especially since the pack hadn't eaten for two days.

It would take a few hours in human terms until they got back home. Their pack's territory stretched out for miles. The borders ran through the Great Forest, and ran along a river that led towards the mountains. This was how their pack got its name, The River Pack. Sometimes wolves outside their pack called them The Blue Eyes, since all of the wolves in the pack had light blue eyes that pierced through the darkest of nights. In the dark, it looked almost as if their eyes glowed.

The group had been walking for a long while, traveling down the slopes back toward home. Soon Bumblebee was beginning to grow tired, and he was now lagging behind the twins. He panted quietly, lowering his head. Hunger had gripped him in a firm grasp, and his body was weak from lack of sources. Including this trek in the equation made matters only worse. He hadn't shown his weakened state before, because he had forgotten about how hungry and tired he really was. And also he didn't want Ironhide to worry. But coming on this trek might have just been too much. He was not as strong as the adults, and he was more affected by this situation than them.

Bumblebee sighed heavily, tired, hungry, and sore. His body felt weak, and his legs trembled from both hunger and the cold snow that now covered his paws. He looked up ahead; Ironhide and the twins were still walking on with the snow fluttering around them. He whimpered quietly, and lifted his paw to take another step to follow them.

Ironhide heard a muffled yelp behind them, and he froze on the stop. He turned his head and his ears shot forward. Panic started to fill his mind as his eyes widened.

"Twins, where's Bumblebee?"

The twins looked at each other, and then looked behind them and then all around them. They finally looked at Ironhide worried expressions.

"He was just behind us…" Sunstreaker whispered.

Ironhide growled, anger now filling his blue eyes, and pushed past them before sprinting through the snow. How could the twins let Bumblebee fall behind? How could they… on the other hand, how could he even trust them?! They were quite younger than him, but they still should have had some sense to watch over the younger member of the pack! The thought of Bumblebee lying in the snow cold and helpless made his panic, and also his anger toward the twins.

He raised his head higher, and sighed in relief when he saw that Bumblebee wasn't far behind them. Ironhide rushed toward the yellow fur, and he skidded to a stop when he got to Bumblebee's side. Bumblebee lifted his head barely, and let out a small whimper.

"'Hide… I'm cold… I'm hungry…"

Ironhide sighed, and lowered his head and touched his neck fur. "I know, young one. C'mon, let get you to your feet."

Bumblebee dropped his head back to the ground, sighing heavily.

"I can't feel my legs…" he whispered.

Ironhide nodded, and glared at the twins, who lowered their heads and tucked their tails between their legs at his expression.

"Go find a place to rest! I'll stay with Bumblebee." He barked sharply, his muzzle curling to form a snarl.

The twins didn't hesitate. They spun around the rushed off to their order and disappeared through the falling snow. Ironhide snorted after them, and looked down at his friend. Bumblebee's breathing had become quieter. Ironhide sighed, and lowered his body so that his torso was covering Bumblebee's smaller body and his tail was curled around his legs. He felt the young wolf's body shivering under him, and he felt a pang of guilt. He should have been watching Bumblebee more closely. He should have ordered Sideswipe and Sunstreaker to keep him between the adults. He should have at least checked on the kid every now and then.

While in the middle of his thoughts, Ironhide's ears shot up at a sound. It was a long, low, and mournful howl, followed by more howls and barks. They sounded as if they were a few miles away, but they still made him stand up, his fur bristling and his tail rose. He looked around, knowing who that familiar howl that had started the racket belonged to. Megatron's pack was close. A few miles from them maybe, if not closer.

Megatron was Ironhide's leader, Optimus Prime's brother, and a very powerful enemy. He was the leader of The Mountain Pack, or to other wolves, known as The Red Eyes, in the same reason as The River Pack, only red. But The Mountain Pack's home was in the part of the forest where the mountains started to grow to the peaks that could be seen from high ground. So… why was Megatron's pack down in the slopes away from the mountains? This question burned Ironhide's mind. He growled aggressively, and lowered his body on Bumblebee again in a protective manner.

After a few minutes, he saw shadows moving toward them through the snow. He growled menacingly, his tail rose and his ears flattened. He stood up, tensing his muscles in his shoulders and haunches. As the shadows grew closer, he lowered to the ground. The shadows drew closer, and before they came into clear view, he lunged.

"Ironhide! It's us! Sideswipe and Sunstreaker!"

Ironhide glared at the yellow and red twin below him on his back, his tail tucked, his ears flattened, and his head lowered. Hearing Sideswipes cry beside him, Ironhide relaxed. He rose off of Sunstreaker, and marched back to Bumblebee.

"We found an old den not far from here, 'Hide. It's big enough for all of us!" Sideswipe informed while tending to his brother.

Ironhide glared at him. "What kind of den?"

"A badger, maybe a raccoon." Sunstreaker replied before his brother while getting to his paws and shaking himself off.

The dark grey wolf growled quietly in response, and nuzzled Bumblebee's muzzle.

"Alright, Kid, c'mon. Get up." He urged, pushing his side with his head.

Bumblebee tried. He really did. He gathered up all of the energy he had in doing so. But he couldn't feel his legs, and he stumbled back to the ground. He could barely open his eyes. Ironhide's expression softened and he thought for a moment before he made a decision. He lowered his head and carefully grabbed Bumblebee's scruff with his muzzle, and then he quickly lowered his head and shoulders under him before standing up. He turned to the twins with narrowed eyes.

"Let's go."

The twins turned away and started running the direction they came. Ironhide growled and ran after them, feeling Bumblebee's bulk start to weigh him down. One of the things he also missed about Bumblebee being little was that he was easier to carry.

A few minutes went by, and Bumblebee felt as if he was getting heavier and heavier. Ironhide hope that they would get to that den soon. But right when he was about to ask when they were going to get there, the twins suddenly stopped up ahead. He slowed and carefully walked up to their side. They were both staring in shock at the ground. There was large pine tree that was uprooted. At the base of the roots was a pile of snow.

"What are you two gaping at?" he growled.

They turned their heads toward him. "This is where the den is, but it is buried in snow!"

Ironhide's fur bristled, and his mouth curled into a snarl. "Then did it out!"

The twins shrank away and started getting to work on digging out the den. Ironhide still held his snarl, and growled deeply.

_Idiots! _He thought bitterly to himself. These two made him want to kill them! But that was harsh to think. He knew that they were young, and that his anger was getting the best of him. His anger was the number one problem in their pack. If anything went wrong, it was usually because of Ironhide's temper. Ratchet was always getting on to him about it. But… he couldn't help it. He was angered easily, and had been all his life.

Finally the twins finished digging the den out. When they dug out the last of the snow wall that blocked the entrance to the den, they slunk away to let Ironhide crawl through. Once inside, he went to the back of the small cave and gently slid Bumblebee off of his back. He then looked at the entrance to the cave, and saw that the twins were still outside. He sighed, looking down at Bumblebee before he called.

"Alright, you two, come in."

A few seconds later Sunstreaker entered the cave and sat at the opposite side of the space. Sideswipe then entered the den, a small white hare hanging from his jaws. He lowered his head, and tucked his tail between his legs before approaching Ironhide with caution. He placed the hare on the ground in front of him.

"It jumped out from the roots when you went in. I thought that… I owed you something after what happened."

Ironhide glared at him for a moment, but after a moment he sighed deeply.

"I owe you two an apology. I am sorry for acting so aggressively."

Sideswipe nodded, smiling lightly. "We are sorry, too. But… I think Bumblebee is the one we need to apologize to though…"

"You can say your apologies when he wakes up." With that, Ironhide turned around, and pressed his body against Bumblebee as he lied down. He lowered his head between his paws, and sighed heavily as exhaustion blanketed him. He found himself asleep in a matter of seconds.

Sideswipe sighed, and turned around before walking over to his brother. He saw that Sunstreaker had already fallen asleep, and found that he was tired too. He lowered his body next to his twin's, and licked Sunstreaker's ear before he fell asleep with his head on his brother's shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

**TF Dires**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Hey, guys, sorry for being slow on posting this chapter. After the first chapter I thought I had my mind set of how to write this, but then… I lost it. I forgot how to write it, where to start, where to begin, what to happen. I'm sure at least someone understands, XD. Plus I've been busy getting ready for school. And a heads up, I won't be able to write often now that school is starting. I am sorry, but I promise to write as often as I can. Thanks. Anyway... Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2**

Ironhide let out a large yawn, his teeth seemingly glowing for a moment before he closed his jaws. He blinked slowly as he took in his surroundings. He sat up quickly, his eyes suddenly widening. But then he sighed heavily and settled down. He had almost forgotten that he, Bumblebee, and the twins had stayed in the abandoned burrow under the tree until the storm died down and Bumblebee had gotten better.

He looked at the young yellow wolf beside him. Bumblebee was still asleep with his tail curled over his muzzle. Ironhide could hear a quiet snore as the younger male slept. He felt a pang of guilt. He shouldn't have made Bumblebee trek so far over such rough terrain, nor should've he let him come along. Bumblebee had wanted so badly to come along for the hunt, but him not being familiar with what happened on the hunts. He was possibly too young.

"'Hide?"

Ironhide looked up at Sunstreaker, who stood with his head low and his tail tucked.

"Yes?" Ironhide replied quietly as if not to disturb his young friend in his sleep.

"I wanted to see if Bumblebee was okay, and I wanted to say sorry for what had happened yesterday. I should have been watching him."

Ironhide looked down at his paws for a moment's thought, and then he smiled up at Sunstreaker calmly.

"It is fine… And I am sorry for almost attacking you yesterday."

"Speaking of attacking, did you hear those howls?"

Ironhide nodded, sitting up. "Yes. Megatron."

"Megatron?"

They both looked at the entrance to the den. Sideswipe stood with his head tilted in a wondering manner and concerned eyes. He held a white rabbit in his jaws similar to the one had had caught the day before.

"But what would he be doing down her away from the mountain?" he asked as he dropped the rabbit on the ground at his paws.

"Looking for trouble in my mind." Ironhide said, scratching at an itch on his ear with his back leg, growling in agitation when he couldn't quite reach it.

Sunstreaker then shook his head. "But why would they want to look for trouble? I mean… we've driven them back to their home months ago."

Ironhide, having finally scratched the annoying itch on the back of his ear, frowned at Sunstreaker.

"That was only once. Megatron is probably trying to send us a warning. Maybe he will attack again."

"But we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet." Sideswipe said, sitting down beside his brother with a stern look in his eyes. "We still got to get Bumblebee to eat something and get home. The others must be worried."

_Finally, for once they are acting like wolves._ Ironhide thought, yawning again. He then felt something move at his side. He looked down and smiled warmly as Bumblebee shifted and lifted his head before yawning. Bumblebee then looked at him sleepily and smiled.

"Morning, 'Hide." he said groggily, sitting up stiffly.

Ironhide licked his head. "Good morning, Bumblebee. Did you sleep well?'

Bumblebee nodded, fattening his ears when he stretched with his paws out in front of him and his tail in the air. He then smiled and grabbed the rabbit that Sideswipe had caught the day before and started plucking the fur. Ironhide then looked toward the entrance to the den, and stood up before padding up to the opening of the den. He poked his head out of the hole, and grumbled at the sight. Snow was everywhere, and was just below his chest. It would be hard to walk through, especially for Bumblebee, with him being smaller than the adults and still weak from yesterday.

Ironhide turned around and back up into the den, growling.

"I know, I saw the snow, too, 'Hide." Sideswipe said.

Sunstreaker frowned. "Are we gonna wait until it melts?"

"No," Ironhide said sharply, "That could take days. And I hate to be stuck here with The Mountain Pack not where they're supposed to be."

The twins looked at each other curiously, and then nodded. They knew just as well as he did that sitting here alone, cold, and hungry left them weak and vulnerable. If they were attacked by any wolf pack, even grey wolves, they wouldn't stand a chance. They needed to get moving after Bumblebee regained his strength, and when they made sure no threat was nearby.

Bumblebee licked his lips after finishing his rabbit. His hunger shakes had passed, and he didn't feel so hungry and tired. He was wide awake now, and ready to go. Well, at least in his mind. He stood up, and shook his fur to get rid of the stiffness and get woken up. Ironhide smiled at his yellow friend, grateful to know that he was alright.

"Alright, pup, you good to go?" Ironhide asked, nudging his shoulder with his muzzle.

Bumblebee smiled. "Yep! When are we gonna go?"

Ironhide nodded at the others. They turned and exited the den into the snow. Bumblebee's bright blue eyes widened and he stood up and trotted to the entrance to the den before sticking his head out to observe outside.

"Whoa… I haven't seen snow before."

Ironhide chuckled, and stepped to his side. "I don't think you'll like it after your paws get cold."

Bumblebee tilted his head and licked some of the white snow that had fallen in the den when the twins left. After a moment he smiled but then he growled and shook his head.

"Whoa, that's cold!"

The dark grey wolf smiled, and nodded at the youngster as he stumbled back into the den shaking his head.

"Yes, it is cold, but also a cruel thing." Ironhide sighed as Bumblebee sat beside him.

Bumblebee blinked at his guardian curiously, his ears perked in wonder as he thought over what he had just said. After a moment, Ironhide realized that the younger wolf didn't know what he meant, and also remembered that this was his first snow. He had been giving him lectures of nature ever since Optimus had mentioned Bumblebee's first hunt. He had wanted him to be prepared for the worst, but he hadn't expected the snow while they were in the middle of the hunt. So, he turned his muzzled toward the entrance to the den.

"Snow kills the green plants that the prey consumes, and without that food, the prey either moves to places where we cannot travel, or go into hibernation. Without those prey, we won't have enough to feed our pack."

The yellow youngster then flattened his ears, and looked back to the entrance. He lowered his head and curled his tail around his back leg. The snow killed plants? But how? There had been very cold nights where he had to stay in the den and was not allowed to leave. But the next day he'd see plants everywhere, as if it were never cold at all. The snow outside sparkled in the sunlight, and was so beautiful.

"Oh… but it is so pretty… How could it do something like that?" he asked, looking back at Ironhide.

Ironhide frowned. "It is part of nature. It does not have a choice of whether it should fall or not. Now," he nudged Bumblebee's shoulder, "let's go before it gets any worse than it is now."

Bumblebee stood up and walked toward the entrance to the burrow. He poked his head out of the hole, and looked around with his fur fluffing around his head. He laughed when he felt his guardian push him out of the den, but then he froze when all four of his paws were shoved into the snow. He instantly tucked his tail and stood motionless, feeling the cold, white snow surrounding his paws and seeping between his toes. He shivered, feeling the cold surround him.

Ironhide chuckled, and nudged Bumblebee's rear, making the young pup whimper and stiffen even more.

"Here, 'Bee, like this!"

Bumblebee watched from the corner of his eye as Ironhide took high steps until he was walking on top of the snow. The snow was soft underneath, but had hardened at the top so that it was easy to walk on. How did he do that? The snow was soft, and Bumblebee knew that Ironhide was a largely built wolf, and had to be heavy. How could he not do that like him? It looked easy, almost too easy, though… It was like Ironhide had lost all of his weight and was light as a jay feather. It was very odd.

Bumblebee looked down at his paws, and gulped. So… he was just supposed to get on top of the snow? Was it hard on the top? Or was there a certain technique to this thing? Slowly and unsurely, he carefully did as Ironhide had showed him, lifting his feet to step on top of the snow, but in his panic, he began to jump crazily, bounding in an attempt to get on top of the snow.

The dark grey wolf chuckled out loud as he watched his small friend frantically lunging in and out of the snow. But he also knew that this would ware him out, so he sighed and quickly ran to catch up with him.

"Bumblebee, wait! Calm down!"

As Ironhide's call, Bumblebee froze, his tail tucked and he lowered his head. He was in sheer fear, not knowing what to do. Bumblebee wasn't scared of anything, except of not knowing what to do. He scooted his feet closer together, and hesitated of what to do. Ironhide was now at his side, licking his cheek warmly.

"Here, kid," the older wolf gently grabbed Bumblebee by the scruff, and pulled him upward. Bumblebee scrambled onto the top of the snow where it had a hard surface. He sat with his legs sprawled out, and his tail still tucked. Ironhide smiled, feeling a little sorry for the pup. He knew that Bumblebee had never seen or walked on snow, but he couldn't deny that the sight was quite funny.

Trying not to laugh, Ironhide nudged the young wolf's side.

"C'mon, kid, just stand up slowly. It's like falling. You just have to push yourself back up onto your paws."

Bumblebee nodded meekly, and did as told, carefully and shakily pushing himself into standing position. He was still for a moment, recovering his bearings before he blinked curiously. He lowered his head and gave the snow a sniff, now moving his paws ever so carefully as if the snow could collapse out from under him. But he grew even more confident, and began to walk around, feeling the cold snow under his paws. Hey, it wasn't so bad! He heard some laughing, and looked up with his ears up with alertness.

The twins were rolling in the snow some tail lengths away, laughing and kicking snow at each other. They looked like pups playing like that! They jumped on each other, bounding around and barking with excitement. They then froze, their front legs sprawled and their rears in the air as they wagged their tails. They flinched, and then they began running again. They barked at each other, laughed, growled playfully, and looked like they were having the times of their lives.

Bumblebee sighed. He wished he was little again. When he was a pup, he had always wanted to grow up, and be a big strong dire wolf that could take down a bull elk. But… now he just wanted to be a pup again. He missed being small…

Suddenly out of nowhere, something hit him in the back. He yelped in surprise and spun around. He scared himself as he had done it so quickly. In front of him, Ironhide was wagging his tail, and smiling at him. As Bumblebee tilted his head in curiosity, he bent down and began to dig in the snow, sending it flying all over the young wolf. Suddenly feeling a sense of joy running through him, Bumblebee barked, and shook his head as he sprawled his front legs and lowered his body, his tail wagging in the air.

Ironhide saw his stance, and got into the same position, wagging his tail and flattening his ears once. Then the two were frozen for a second, testing one another by flinching or tensing up. But Ironhide sprinted forward after a few moments. Bumblebee did the same, having them jumping at each other and barking. They spun around each other, playing a game of tag, and then they began to wrestle. Bumblebee tackled his guardian, and they rolled in the snow, growling and playfully biting each other. Ironhide then leaped out from under the younger wolf, and they began to chase each other again.

This playful moment between all four wolves continued for a very long time. And finally after a while, Bumblebee gave out a very loud and long sigh before plopping down on the snow, forgetting his fears from before. He began to roll around in the snow, and it really felt nice to just relax for a moment. He hadn't had this much fun in a while, a "Pup Moment' as Ironhide had called it once. He had found it quite funny then, but now he understood what he had meant.

Ironhide sat down where he stood not far from his young friend, and took his time to catch his breath. The twins had already settled down, and were now walking over. They looked at Bumblebee as he rolled in the snow, sending some flying as he kicked his feet. He seemed so happy, so excited to get going now.

Bumblebee sat up, and shook his fur as he got to his paws. After sending some snow flying and feeling energized again, he smiled at Ironhide.

"Okay, I'm ready! Can we go home now?" he said, trotting up to his guardian.

Ironhide chuckled, and licked his muzzle before speaking. "Yes, pup, let's go."

Bumblebee smiled brightly, and trotted after the older wolf as the four began their trek back home. They were all happy to go home, but were still dreading arriving home without prey. They had been through so much, but all they had caught was a rabbit or two. That was not going to feed a whole pack. So… the four held their heads low in disappointment. Well, Bumblebee wasn't quite thinking about that at that moment. He was gazing around with wondering, bright blue eyes at the new world around him. The green, lush shrubs that he had seen the day before, the large trees that were covered in bright reds, golden, yellow, and brown leaves were now covered in white snow, and some leaves could be seen at the base of the trunks where the leaves had fallen under the snow's weight. The dirt that he felt under his paws as they trekked the day before was now smothered in the snow as well, just as the grass and everything else that had been on the ground.

How could Ironhide remember where to go? How did he know which way home was? Bumblebee couldn't smell their old scents from yesterday, so how could he? They didn't make any scratches on the trees to mark their path, and their paw prints were covered by the snow. Bumblebee sniffed the air again. Was there a certain scent that Ironhide was following that led back to their pack? He didn't know.

He fell into silence. What was there to say? They had had their fun, and they had no food to bring home. He didn't know what to say at all.

Ironhide turned his head to look over his shoulder to check on his smaller, younger friend and the twins. But when he saw Bumblebee's expression, he began to think. He saw that Bumblebee was bored, and needed something to keep his mind busy. After thinking for a long moment, he then smiled.

"Hey, Bumblebee, have I ever told you the story about when Ratchet got stuck in the snow when he had first seen it?"

Bumblebee perked his ears, and looked at Ironhide's back curiously. He Ironhide hadn't told him a story since he was younger, when he had wanted bedtime stories before he went to sleep. But the mention of a tale was interesting, and he smiled.

"No, I don't remember you telling me that one, 'Hide."

"Ah, yes, it was our very first Snow Day. We were around your age, if not younger. We were still with our mothers at the time. The snow had fallen over night, and Ratchet's curiosity got the best of him. He underestimated the deepness of the snow, and how soft it was. He walked on top of it for a moment, and as I was just about to follow him out of the den when he suddenly disappeared from sight!"

Bumblebee gasped, and his ears shot forward. "What happened to him?"

The dark grey wolf chuckled at the younger wolf's sudden interest in the tale. He went back, and tried to remember what had happened. He smiled at the memory.

"Well, I looked for him. I called out for him. But I didn't hear anything back…"

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker looked at each other. Now having gotten interested in this new story, they perked their ears and listened with interest. This was much better than walking in silence and it was actually nice to hear a story. They, too, haven't been told tales ever since they were young. And besides, now that Bumblebee was intrigued in the story, there was no stopping Ironhide.

"I called and called for Ratchet, but I didn't receive a response. Even my mother tried to help find him. But she even found it difficult to find him. We were starting to get scared, and thought that maybe an owl had snatched him up."

Bumblebee gasped. "Did you ever find him?" He trotted up to the older wolf's side with his ears straight up and his bright blue eyes wide.

Ironhide chuckled as he looked at his young friend. "Well, we kept searching. After a long time, we finally heard s muffled howl. My mother dug in the snow right in front of our den, and managed to pull him out and bring him back into the den. He was wet, cold, and a nervous shivering wreck."

Bumblebee sighed in relief, and smiled at Ironhide. "Then what happened?"

"He told me to not laugh. I laughed anyway. And you know what?"

"What?" Bumblebee replied.

"He did the same thing again the next month, when it was our… second snow I believe. He was walking on a log and stepped off into the snow and fell until it was as deep as his neck. I couldn't help him, because I didn't want to get stuck myself."

Bumblebee laughed, and wagged his tail in happiness. He was glad that Ratchet was okay. Perhaps him falling in the snow those times was the cause of his grouchiness? He would never know. But for now, he was happy to listen to this story. Ironhide had always been a great storyteller. Well… at least when he wasn't mad. Whenever he was in a bad mood, he told stories that would send chills running up Bumblebee's spine and to his tail. But he didn't understand some of them either.

As Ironhide told the story and Bumblebee and Sideswipe listened, Sunstreaker sniffed the air to check for any new scents. He then froze, smelling the air as he caught the scent of another wolf. He lowered his head and smelled the ground for a moment. It was one wolf with the mixture of different scents. He could smell a male, a female, and a pup, all in the same scent. He couldn't quite tell what gender this wolf was, nor did he find him or her familiar. But he did find one part of the scent very, and creepily familiar. He looked up at Ironhide as the older wolf spoke to Bumblebee. Sideswipe turned his attention away from Ironhide and gave his brother a concerned frown.

"What is it, Sunny?"

Sunstreaker frowned, his ears flattening. "Do you smell that?"

Sideswipe smelled around, and then growled deeply with his ears up and his eyes narrowed.

Ironhide turned his head, and wondering what they were all worked up about, sniffed around. He then, too, let out a menacing growl that came from down deep from within his chest. Bumblebee smelled around too, but didn't smell anything that was threatening. He gave his guardian a confused expression. Ironhide softened his glare, and looked at the paw prints that were in front of them that he had now just noticed.

"Megatron…" was all the large dark grey wolf said at her lifted his gaze from the paw prints to the forest in front of them.


	3. Chapter 3

**TF Dires**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Hey, hope y'all like this. And thanks antubis0! I'm glad you like it! Love your comics! Keep up the good work on Deviantart! Okay, that aside, XD , enjoy!**

**Chapter Three**

It was cold, scary, and very lonely for two wolves that traveled not too far away from the four hunters. A young female and a small pup less than a month old. The female had white fur with a blue dorsal stripe down her back, a solid blue tail, and blue socks. The little pup looked almost the same, but his fur was grey with blue and only his paws were blue. They bother had bright blue eyes, and were very alone.

"Sissy, I'm hungry…" the small pup whimpered as he struggled to keep up with the female.

She looked back at her little brother, and sighed heavily before stopping to let him catch up. "I know, Streak. I know."

Streak sat down behind her leg, and swallowed hard. "When are we gonna eat?"

"Soon," she replied, "Soon."

The older sibling was Stream. She was born in a litter before her brother's, and was a few months older. But them being from the same father, they were full-blooded siblings. She was the babysitter of the den whenever their parents went on a hunt. Well, at least she used to be before _they_ attacked. They had red eyes that pierced through the darkness of the shadows, teeth that gleamed in the night, and blood curdling howls. They had attacked the dens, slaughtering any who couldn't fight back and any who tried to. Their parents were killed, along with all the others. The brother and sister were very lucky because their den lead toward the bottom of the hill their pack had settled on. It was an old badger's burrow, and had many tunnels. So they were able to escape.

Stream watched as her brother shook from hunger, and fear. All of the rest of his other litter were killed, and he was terrified of what could happen next. Knowing that he was too tired to keep walking on his own, Stream carefully picked Streak up by the scruff of his neck and began walking again. She didn't know where to go now with her family and pack not with her to protect her, nor did she know how to hunt. She was supposed to go on her first hunt in a few days, but now that was lost all because of those stupid Red Eyes. That was how she referred to them as. They were vicious, and terrifying. She hated knowing that her little brother was starving, and she felt very guilty. She knew that it wasn't her fault that she couldn't hunt, but it still pained her to see him hungry with her not able to do anything about it. She cursed in her mind at the Red Eyes.

She trudged on tiredly, high-stepping through the snow. This was her first snow, and it had been fun at first when it had arrived earlier the day before, but now it was only a threat to her and her sibling and was hard to walk through. It was cold under her paws, and made it worse to find a safe place. Her brother was already weak from hunger; she didn't want him to die of the cold. He was too young… She heard him whimper, and felt her chest tighten as she paused for a moment's rest. She looked around, and sighed in relief when she saw a bush that was under a very large and bushy tree. She walked forward and crawled under the snow-weighted branches of the large pine tree and then placed Streak under the bush to protect him from the wind.

"Stay here, Streak." she said gently as she licked his head. "I am going to try to hunt. Be silent and don't go anywhere."

The small pup nodded, and laid his head on his paws. Stream then turned away, sniffed around for a moment, and then trekked after the scent of an otter. She had smelled the scent before, since her father had caught one once. It smelled… fishy, and it was very chewy. But otters were full of fat and protein. They were good food, especially for a pup. When she had first eaten otter, she wasn't quite sure what to make of it, and assumed that she didn't like it. But she grew onto it as her father hunted more. Hopefully this otter hadn't gone far, and of not, perhaps she could attempt to kill it. Streak had just been weaned and needed food soon. She could only hope that she could catch this otter.

Not far away, a young yellow wolf crept through the weighted undergrowth, looking around with his ears forward and his eyes wide and alert. He sniffed the ground for a moment. Ironhide had told him that he was going to go take a look around for any sign of The Mountain Pack's presence near the area along with the twins. He had gotten bored and began wandering around to search for his own clues.

Bumblebee remembered when he had been captured by Megatron when he was a tiny pup. He had almost been killed, and was very happy that Ironhide was there, and Optimus, and all of the others. Starscream was very scary, and was the one who had hurt him the most. But Megatron did a number on him too, though. Either way, he didn't want to be captured again, so he kept low and silent.

He was walking on the riverbank of the territory's borders. The river was huge, and ran for miles and miles. The borders of his pack's, The River Pack's, territory, and was crystal blue in the cooler times, and was crystal clear in spring and summer. In the corner of his eye, Bumblebee suddenly caught the sight of a weasel-like animal some ways in front of him. It had a long body and tail, a tiny head, and small round eyes. He wagged his tail.

_Food!_

He crouched low. He had always wanted to try to hunt on his own, but now was the first time he had attempted it. He began to creep through the bushes, his ears up and head low. He kept an eye on the otter for a moment, but then he lost track of it under a log. The log looked to be a fallen pine, and was frozen in the ice of the river so that part of the log was on the riverbank and the other part was in the frozen river. There was a space between the ground ant the log in the snow.

He growled, and padded closer. Perhaps there was a hole in the log that it had gotten into. He could dig it out easily. Ironhide was going to be so proud of him! He saw the otter's tail tip on the outside of a small burrow. The burrow was just on the other side of the log under the space where the snow could not reach. He crouched low, and waited for a few agonizing moments. Ironhide had always told him, "Patience is key to a successful hunt." But Ironhide wasn't the type to be 'patient', was he?

Bumblebee hunched his shoulders, tensing his muscles before letting them spring into action. He sprung at the log, attempting to slide under it and grab the otter's tail before it could dart further inside its burrow. His body was halfway under the log when he suddenly hit something really hard.

"Oof!" he grunted, feeling his hindquarters slide under him so that his fur fluffed around his shoulders and neck.

He opened his eyes slowly to see what he had run into, and blinked in surprise when he saw another pair of crystal-like blue eyes staring right back in equal surprise. He and the wolf stood there frozen where they had hit, their noses touching, and their chests almost brushing against each other's. They stared wide-eyed at each other, not quite sure of what to make of what had just happened and what to do at that moment.

The female blinked slowly, and took shallow breathes, still in shock and not very sure of what to do. Bumblebee thought that her eyes were kind of pretty. Her fur was a little darker just around the edges of her eyes, making it look like what the humans called 'eyelashes'. When she blinked rapidly, he felt his heart skip a beat. He had suddenly thought that she was very pretty. But before he could think another thought, that beauty in the she-wolf's small face transformed into a menacing snarl as she suddenly started to back up, her tail tucked and her ears flattened. Her crystal blue eyes had a dark look to them now, and he leaned back in shock at the sudden change in body language.

Bumblebee perked his ears. "Easy, I do not want to hurt you. Who are y-,"

Before he could finish the sentence, she turned around and bolted down the riverbank. She had done so fast enough to almost make an afterimage. He stood up, shaking the snow off of his fur before he sprinted after her, having forgotten about Ironhide. Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker and the otter.

"H-Hey, wait!" he called after her, but received no answer as she ran away. He picked up the pace, now racing after her. Wolves were built for running long distances for long periods of time. Dire wolves were much bigger than grey wolves, and had stronger built. Dire wolves could outrun grey wolves and many animals that were considered prey. That was why Dires were well avoided.

The yellow adolescent ran as fast as he could, and noticed that he was catching up to her. The female noticed this, and snarled to herself. She skidded to a stop and turned to her left, entering the woods in an attempt to lose him. Nope. Didn't work. The yellow male kept after her, racing through the trees, dodging fallen limbs and logs and trees. He kept a firm step in the snow, and his eyes darted every once in a while to watch out for obstacles. She wouldn't give up though, and pushed her body harder, racing almost too fast through the woods. She was going to lose him. She _had _to.

Bumblebee fought to catch up with her, and jumped over a stump that he had just managed to spot before he could trip over it. He saw that she was tiring. Her body was slowing down, and she was panting hard. But he was also getting tired. He took in deep breathes, but then he suddenly gasped. The female didn't see the hole in the snow, and she went down hard, doing a few barrel rolls before she went still in the snow. Bumblebee halted quickly, and stood still as he stared at the female as her fur blew in the breeze.

"Oh, I… I am sorry! Are you alright?" he quickly said, padding up to her. He sniffed her to see if there was any sign of consciousness.

Right when he lowered his muzzle to her neck, she sprung. She jumped up and lunged at him, slamming him into the snow with brute force. He yelped, and instinctively tucked his tail. He did not want to hurt her, but in an attempt to get free, he kicked her with his back feet, and they flipped backwards with him pinning her shoulders with his paws.

"Now," he growled deeply but not showing his teeth. "I do not want to hurt you! I only wanted to know who you were."

The female struggled for a moment. She was smaller than him, but seemed to be about the same age. She still had a fiery look in her eyes, and her muzzle was curled into a snarl. He knew that she was in fear, but what else was he supposed to do? He softened his expression.

"Now, I am going to get off of you. But remember, I don't want to fight." He slowly backed off of her. Once he was off, she sprung back onto her feet, and lowered her head with the same snarl. He perked his ears, but did not raise his tail in dominance. He did not want to frighten her any more than she was then. After a long while of silence, she lifted her head.

"You… don't want to hurt me?" she asked quietly. She looked scared to death deep down.

Bumblebee smiled, and took a step forward. "I don't. What is your name?"

She tilted her head curiously, but her eyes softened. "I am Stream. Who are you?"

"I'm Bumblebee." he replied happily.

Stream blinked calmly at him, and sat down to lick her paw. He saw that she didn't put weight on it, and was careful not to place it on the ground. He had noticed that when he had pinned her, she didn't put as much force on the right. He stepped forward and lowered his head.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a worried tone.

She looked up at him with her paw still hanging. "Oh, yes, I am. I just hurt it in the fall."

Bumblebee swallowed. He felt guilty that he had chased her. Maybe it would have been best to leave her alone. But he had come so far, and now she was speaking to him. She seemed friendly, and he really liked her. She was pretty, and calm when not mad. The two young wolves fell into silence again. Neither knew of what to say. They had been through a long chase, and a scuffle, but now that they knew that neither wanted to hurt each other, they didn't know what to say.

"So, Stream, are you from around this part of the forest? Or are you just passing through?" Bumblebee asked finally.

Stream looked up from inspecting her paw with her ears slightly flattened.

"Oh, um… me and my brother are just passing through."

"Brother? You are not alone?" he questioned.

She nodded. "I have a younger brother. His name is Streak. He looks like me sort of."

Bumblebee nodded. He hadn't thought of her having anyone with her when he had chased her. Maybe she was leading him away to keep her brother safe? He didn't know for sure. But he was curious of who her brother was. Was he a pup? Was he just a little younger than her? Was he her twin? For a moment he considered asking her if he was nearby, and if they could go see him.

Out of nowhere, a dark blur came through the brush and tackled Stream. She yelped as the large wolf and she rolled around on the ground, snarling yapping, biting, and kicking. She tried to escape Ironhide, but his bulk and strength kept her pinned. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were right beside Bumblebee, positioning themselves in front of him. Bumblebee gasped, and stood up.

"'Hide, stop! Stop this, she isn't a threat!"

The older dark grey wolf growled while he had Stream pinned. He glared at her, with his tail raised. He had the urge to bite her neck, but at Bumblebee's cries, he tried to calm himself. He slowly back off, and snarled at her as he stepped in front of Bumblebee. But before he could move any more, Bumblebee sprang over them and in front of Stream, who crouched low to the ground with her tail tucked and her head low. He raised his tail, and his ears were straight up.

"Why did you do that?" Bumblebee said, frowning at his guardian. How could he do this? She did not attack him, but only was defending herself. And had he been following him? Why hadn't he told him that he was near?

Ironhide tried to hold back a snarl. He knew that his anger was already at high point, but he didn't want to hurt his young friend. He felt the urge to pace back and forth, but he forced himself to stand still.

"Who is this female?" he growled, glaring at Stream as she now stood up.

Stream lowered her head so see could see under Bumblebee's head. This Ironhide seemed so aggressive. Was he a friend of Bumblebee's? And who were the two males behind him? They looked almost exactly alike, besides that one had red markings and the other yellow. Maybe they were brothers? More like twins. They were all a lot bigger than her, but Bumblebee was just a little larger than her, and smaller than the adults. They looked scary, but Ironhide was the worst.

"Ironhide, this is Stream. I just met her." Bumblebee replied.

Stream studied Bumblebee's stance. He looked as if he was between submissive and aggressive. He had his tail slightly raised and his ears up in warning, but also his head was lowered and he wasn't standing straight up. This grey wolf was probably family to him, and he didn't want to hurt him. But all of this was to her eyes. Ironhide didn't look anything like Bumblebee, or vice versa. Was he his father? Were they even related?

Ironhide growled quietly, and walked forward. Bumblebee, being submissive, lowered his head and tucked his tail before stepping aside. Ironhide growled, and Stream lowered her head and tucked her tail between her legs. She crept forward, and let him take in her scent. He sniffed her tail, and her side and neck, taking whatever information he could. He smelled a pup's scent, and his aggression suddenly turned into realization. He had heard the scuffle from a few moments earlier, and thought that she had attacked Bumblebee. But now he understood that she was only protecting herself and her pup. So, he softened his expression as the twins came over and gave her a sniff.

"I am sorry. I am just protecting my family. So your name is Stream?" Ironhide spoke calmly, lowering his tail but not tucking it. He perked his ears in interest now.

Stream gave Sunstreaker a small growl when he got too close, and he stepped back along with Sideswipe. She hated it when older wolves got too close to her, especially strangers. So she wanted to make it clear that she didn't want to be messed with. She then looked at Ironhide with a lightened expression.

"It is fine, Ironhide. And yes, I am Stream. I am sorry for giving you the wrong impression." She answered quietly, lowering her head slightly.

Ironhide nodded. "I am sorry for acting so abruptly. I should have asked first."

Stream smiled, and watched as Bumblebee sat down beside her before trying to scratch at an itch. He then shook his head and smiled at her. She liked how friendly he was to her. He was so nice and calm, and protective when his own pack mate attacked. But she then stood up and frowned.

"Well, can we go and see if my brother is okay? I left him somewhere close by."

"You have a brother?" Ironhide asked with his tail slightly rising.

She nodded, and began to run back the way she had been chased. The others besides Bumblebee gave each other curious looks before rushing to catch up with the two younger wolves. Stream backtracked toward the river, and the large log that was frozen within it. She also glanced down at the ground to watch for her tracks. She twitched her ears as she heard the others' paw steps behind her. She made a sharp turn and began to slow, remembering that she had placed him under a bush that was at the base of a large tree.

Finally, she saw the tree that she had placed her brother at. But she then suddenly gasped at what she found. The snow had fallen from the tree branches above and collapsed on top of the bush that Stream was under. The snow was at least three feet deep on top of the bush, and the tee was almost bare. On the trunk she saw scrape marks, like a deer or elk scraped their antlers against it.

"Streak!" she cried out before almost lunging at the snow hill and digging with both front paws. She sent snow flying, covering Bumblebee when he then came up behind her. He was about to laugh, but when he saw the terror and panic on her face, he then began helping her dig in the snow.

"Streak, please! Answer me! Streak!"

Her cries filled Bumblebee's ears, and they made him dig deeper. He wanted to find her little brother now, and wanted to make her howls stop. They dug for minutes before Ironhide and the twins came. The adults observed the two younglings thrash around in the snow in panic before Ironhide suddenly spotted something between some roots under a large oak behind them.

Ironhide turned around and lowered his head and gave the small bundle a sniff before grabbing the pup by the scruff of the neck.

"Stream,"

Stream looked up and was about to snap at him until she saw what was in his jaws. Her terror suddenly turned into sheer relief before she bounded toward him. She gently grabbed Streak from Ironhide's mouth and laid down, hugging him with her paws and licking the small pup's head.

"Oh thank goodness! Streak, you're okay!" she whimpered, and before long a protest could be heard.

"Sissy, stop that! Yuck! You got cooties!" The pup tried to crawl out from her paws, but she tightened her grip.

Stream then growled, nipping his ear. "Don't you ever scare me like that! I thought that you were gone for good."

Streak rolled his eyes and grumbled. "I got too cold and moved to the roots. It's only a few steps from the dumb bush."

Stream growled at him, and sighed as she sat up. Streak flopped out from her paws and he shook his head. Bumblebee tilted his head and lowered his head to the pup's height. This pup did look a lot like Stream. Almost exactly. The pup looked at Bumblebee, and forgetting his boldness from before, coward behind Stream's leg.

Ironhide chuckled, and smiled at the siblings. "He will be fine. Would you two like to come with us? To our pack's den?"

Stream smiled, and was about to answer back before Streak then poked his head around her leg.

"Will there be food?" he asked.

Ironhide smiled and nodded. "Of course."

Streak grinned and gave his sister a puppy-eyed smile. Stream considered the thought. She was still nervous, for the attack from the day before had her on edge. But the thought of her brother starving and them not being protected gave her the confidence to find her answer. She sighed and rolled her eyes before nodded at Ironhide.

"Yes, we will."

Streak smiled before rubbing her leg. The others turned away and began to trek up the slope. Stream smiled at her brother, and she licked his head before grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and following the others. She was still worried of how their pack would treat them, but she supposed that this would be better than the way the Red-Eyes had treated them. So, she guessed that she had no choice but to follow. She wasn't going to let her brother starve, nor was she going to risk them being attacked because they had no other wolves with them. She had no clue of what to happen, but for now, she hoped for the best.

**Hey guys, sorry for the late post. School starting has gotten me on my toes lately so I don't have to time to write as much. Hope you liked this though. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**TF Dires**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**I am so sorry (especially to antubis) for not posting for a while. I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone thought that I was off of FanFiction, but I am trying to find the time during school. I hope you like this. Oh, and I have started a new story, just because I was in the mood and I had the time. It is called DBZ Bonds, just in case you DBZ fans are interested. I don't know how far I can get into things, but I am trying my best. Thanks, and enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

As she kept a steady pace behind Bumblebee, Stream heard her little brother sigh loudly.

"I'm hungry."

She lowered her head with her ears flattened, growling to herself. That had been the seventh time he had announced that. He had complained about his paws hurting, it being too quiet, the adults being too dull, by which had earned a snarl from Ironhide, and now he was hungry. She sighed, and turned her head just enough to see him from the corner of her eye behind her.

"Streak, for the Lord's sake, we just ate! You can't be hungry now!"

He frowned casually. "But that was a long while ago-,"

"It was barely a few flakes ago!"

Streak was about to protest, but then he stopped himself at that remark. That was the term that their mother used to always use with their father. It was a few minutes in human terms, like in snowflakes falling. He had thought that it was funny whenever she used it with him, she always put a loud tone at the end of it, and it made their father go cower outside the den, but he was never in trouble long.

As if reading his mind, Stream sighed deeply. She stopped, turning around to walk back to him. When he raised his head to look at her, she licked his small face gently.

"I'm sorry, Streak. I didn't mean it. I miss her too." she said softly.

The small pup sniffled, and nodded meekly. He really missed his mother, and his sister resembled her so much that a long time ago, before the attack, he had called her his mother when he was younger. Ever since then, Stream had watched over him and his siblings with their mother. She could've been his mother though, having been in the litter before him. But she was still young, and besides, she hadn't found a mate yet. She probably wouldn't find a mate for a while in her opinion.

Streak had fallen silent since then. He followed behind Stream without saying much for a very long time, and now it was starting to get too quiet without him complaining about something, or at least announcing that he saw something. Stream then felt bad about what she had said earlier. She hated that she had copied her mother's words. She didn't mean to, it was just a habit. She had always said things like her mother. She remembered one time she said a really ugly word that her mother had said when she was a pup. Her father had given her a pretty good nip on the rear for it, too. She was careful of what she said after that. Stream missed times like those, even if they weren't so pleasurable when they were actually happening. The young she-wolf sighed. She really missed her mother and father, and her other younger brothers and sisters.

"Are you alright, Stream?"

Stream looked up, and her ears went back when she saw Bumblebee's light but concerned face.

She nodded lightly. "I am alright." she said, and then she looked beside her at Streak. "We've had a long day, and… we just need to rest."

Bumblebee nodded, and looked down at her little brother. The pup looked tired and worn out. His paws and belly fur were matted from walking so low to the ground, and he was shaking. He wondered how the pup managed to keep quiet after all. He then looked at her again. Even though she and her brother had eaten earlier, he hadn't noticed how thin she was. Her ribs were just starting to show, and she looked a bit feeble. He then thought for a moment, and then turned completely around. He bent his head down, and carefully picked up the pup, who didn't even protest. He curled into a ball in his jaws, and relaxed.

Stream smiled tiredly at the yellow juvenile. He was such a kind wolf, and she was glad that he had warmed up to her so quickly and her brother as well. He smiled back at her gently as not to hurt Streak in his mouth. The two youngsters noticed that the others were getting farther ahead, so they looked at each other one last time before hurrying to catch up with them. Having arrived a few paw steps behind them, he and Stream walked along side each other behind the adults.

The sun was up in high noon when the small group arrived to the River Pack dens. They were all very tired, and Streak was already asleep in Bumblebee's jaws. Stream was keeping close to Bumblebee now and was wary of the other wolves. After some minutes or introduction, she knew most of their names. Optimus Prime, their alpha, seemed real nice. He was very soft toned and calm about meeting the two new arrivals. Ratchet, their medic, was grumpy looking, but was careful when he examined her little brother and her. Having already met Ironhide, she found him rather intimidating. There was Jazz, who was like a big pup, but acted mature around her. Prowl was a quiet one. He didn't say much and looked like one not to mess with. Hound was a calm wolf. He was friendly, and offered her and her brother something to eat. She liked him well enough. Magnus was a pretty mature wolf, maybe about the same age as Optimus. He seemed cocky some, but he was pretty fair. And then there was Wheeljack. He was pretty laid-back, and quiet.

After the introductions and uncomfortable sniffing and poking and crowding, Stream to do nothing but lie down somewhere and go to sleep. She was very frustrated, depressed, and exhausted all at the same time. Her belly was empty again, but she didn't want any food at that moment. At that time, their medic, Ratchet was leading her to her and Streak's den.

"… And we haven't had company in a long time. I am astonished that you and your younger brother have survived. The Mountain Pack is a very aggressive one, and dangerous. They could've killed you."

Stream nodded a few times as he spoke, and then sighed. She was too tired to say much, and only mumbled, "Yes, I know."

The yellow and red wolf looked her up and down as they walked. As Bumblebee had observed earlier, he noted how fragile-looking she was with her bones starting show and her fatigue taking over. He guessed that she fed her brother most of the food she managed to catch or find. He would have Hound look for food later. What this she-wolf needed now was rest, and plenty of it.

After a short silence, besides the brushing of their paws against the light layer of snow, Ratchet then stopped.

"Here it is. It is a mess, since we were not expecting company. If you want another den we can get someone to-,"

"Oh no," she interrupted, "this will be fine. Thank you."

The older wolf nodded, and turned away. She watched as her disappeared over the low hill, and then looked back at the den. It was a large tree with the roots sticking out of the ground oddly at the bottom like cage bars. The tree itself was a pine, a very old one in fact. It must have been over a hundred years. Then again, this almost untouched forest rarely had humans around to cut it down. So there were plenty of trees like this around the forest.

When she looked up, Stream could see the snow, just barely grasping the needles in fear of falling down onto the ground. She knew that when it started to get warmer, the snow would crumble to the ground in a large heap. So she was going to have to work on the den to prevent the snow from sliding down into the burrow. The burrow was similar to a badger's, but the roots' scars were proof that a wolf had dug this den, most likely one of the others.

Stream then got to work, digging out the snow at the entrance to the den and around it so that the snow wouldn't fall in. She scrapped snow and sticks off the top of the roots. When she entered the burrow, she found it rather small, so she got to work on digging it out, making it more open. After expanding the inside of the den, she went back outside and dug in the snow. She brought back some oak leaves and placed them inside in various spots in case her brother wanted to choose his own bedding. Finally, she was done and the den looked a lot cleaner. Snow didn't clutter the entrance, and she could walk around better.

"Your name is Stream, am I correct?"

She jumped, dropping a few leaves from her mouth, and spun around. It was Optimus, the large blue and red wolf. Instantly she tucked her tail, and lowered her ears and head.

"Now, now, you don't have to do that." he said softly. When she lifted her head curiously, he smiled. "May I come in?"

She nodded meekly, and lowered her rear, and barely perked her ears. "Um… yes, sir, I am Stream. Can I help you with something?"

He shook his head, and ducked into the den. Once inside, he looked around and seemed to study it with admiration. Stream looked around too, not knowing why anyone would find this a… admiring den. It was damp in some places because of the snow, and leaves were scattered everywhere. She would need to work on that.

"You did well in redecorating your den. Will you be staying her long, Stream?"

The young female looked up at him from her thoughts, and then lowered her head again, looking at her paws distractedly. "Well… I am not sure. Our pack… It is-,"

"I know, young one," he spoke calmly, a note of sympathy ringing in his voice. "Bumblebee told me all about it."

"He did?" she questioned, her ears perking up now.

He tilted his head slightly to the right, but lowered his gaze. "Yes, and I am very sorry about your home and family. I wish we caught wind of it sooner."

Stream looked away. She could feel her chest tightening and a sick feeling in her stomach. She felt that she needed to cough up, but she would hold it back. Just the mention of the word 'family' made her melt. She didn't care about her home. If her pack was still alive, she would've been fine. Her home could burn down, but as long as she had her mother and father, she would have been alright. Well, she had no mother and father now.

She sighed deeply. She still couldn't believe that they were gone. They had always been there. Always. They had always been there to watch over her. Her mother always slept next to her at night while her father went on nightly patrols, her mother always groomed her after she had gotten dirty as a pup, her mother was always there. Her father was always inventing new games to play with her and her sisters, her father always the one to take her on patrols when she couldn't go to sleep at nights, her father was always there to protect her from the nightmares that attacked on some nights.

Now, they would never be there again. Now, they would be a lost memory in the future. Now, she would have to always be there for Streak. It was her turn. She needed to gather herself, and do what she could to protect and love her little brother. Now that their territory was taken by a very large pack, the option of going back to start a new pack there was out of the question. Well, for now, she would stay here with the River Pack. At least she and her brother would be safe, and maybe if they were willing to, they might teach her how to hunt.

"Stream?"

Stream raised her gaze to meet the older wolf's blue eyes. They were kind and soft, nothing like the red, menacing eyes of the Mountain Pack's.

"Your brother is with Jazz and the twins in case you need him. He has eaten already, and here…" He back up out of the den and then returned with an odd-looking creature in his jaws. The thing had a green head and reddish-brown feathers with webbed feet. It was a moment later when she realized that it was actually a duck. When he placed it on the ground in front of her, a small feather floated off of its chest.

"This should take the edge off your hunger." When she was about to thank him, he shook his head before she spoke. "You can thank Hound later. You must rest. I will meet you again later after you have regained your energy."

Stream smiled softly as he turned around to leave the den. She lied down with the duck between her paws and started to pluck the feathers off. She had seen her father do so when he had caught a pheasant once. She guessed that since they were both birds, she would have to do the same to the duck. When Optimus was just half-way out of the den, Streak suddenly appeared under him and dashed between his legs and into the den. Optimus chuckled as he turned his head to glance at the pup amusingly, and then he disappeared out of the den.

"Sissy, sissy! Guess what happened!" he yipped cheerfully, sprawling his front paws in front of him as he wagged his small tail.

Stream gently tore a piece of meat from the duck's breast. "Um.. I don't know. What happened?"

Streak started spinning around and did so a few times before he spoke. "'Sides said that he'd teach me how to hunt when I got big enough! And right when he said it, 'Sunny threw a weasel on him and 'Sides screamed and ran into his den!"

At his own information the pup started laughing and then he fell onto his back. Stream found his sudden happiness quite odd. They had just lost everything they had: Their parents, their pack, their home… why would he be so happy? She'd think that he'd be curled up beside her, crying his little heart out and wanting his mother. This… was nothing like she expected.

_Then again… _she thought to herself, _grieving would only make things worse. Maybe a little fun for him isn't so bad._

With that thought in mind, she smiled gently at him as she chewed on a piece of duck. "That must have been hilarious."

Streak took in a few deep breathes before tilting his head forward to look over his chest.

"Ya bet! It was the funniest thing I've ever seen!" he laughed, rolling onto his side. The pup had a bright shine in his eyes, and he seemed to act like everything that had happened had never happened at all.

Stream hummed to herself before tearing another bite of the duck. She had never had duck before, but it was actually quite similar to pheasant. It was dark meat, and was kind of chewy. Well, her mother said that it was tougher when she was a pup. But then again, she was too hungry to even care to wonder if it was chewy, tough, stringy, or anything. She just wanted something to put in her empty stomach.

Finally after she finished off her duck, she saw that Streak's eyes were squinted a little. His ears drooped a little, and it was a sure sign that sleep was cloaking him. She smiled at him as he dropped his head onto his paws. Then she stood up, and feeling tired herself now, thought that it was a nice time to take a nap. She stepped to the entrance to the den, and looked at the sun. It was just after noon, so she and her brother would probably have time to explore their temporary home when they got their rest. So Stream turned and carefully picked up Streak by his scruff. Then she groggily lied down in the leaf bedding, and when she placed Streak beside her, he snuggled up to her, and sighed. It was a quiet one, and she sighed as well. It had been a long morning, and she would be glad to regain her senses.

As she laid her head between her paws, Stream thought about what they would do when they were going to leave. Would they find a new pack? Would they start a new pack? Would they live as lone wolves without a pack at all? She wouldn't know. All she knew now was that she was too tired to think now. So she slowly closed her eyes, and let the warm darkness take over, and shut the cold winter world of nightmares out.


	5. Chapter 5

**TF Dires**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Chapter 5**

"Blackout!"

The large black wolf perked his small ears and his short tail rose for a second before tucking flat against his rear. His light red eyes darkened, and he lowered his head. He trotted toward the larger grey wolf. His alpha was a light colored grey with darker markings, dorsal stripe down his back, and deep, angry red eyes. His alpha looked very displeased, but also very triumphant at the same time. He could see multiple emotions flow through Megatron's face as the high-ranked wolf stared down at him from his perch on the boulder.

"Yes, my lord?" Blackout said quietly, raising his head a little.

Megatron growled, and seeing that Blackout had lowered his head again, he sat up. "Is this all that you have found?"

Blackout nodded, and frowned. "Yes, this is it."

Megatron growled, glaring at the wolves that were laying limp on the ground not far behind Blackout. He sniffed the air. He could taste the air with his nose, he could taste the dead pack. He could smell each distinctive scent that separated each and every one of them. It was a good scent, it was sweet, it was an old happiness, it was a horrible stench in his nose. He growled in agitation, and turned his gaze back to Blackout.

"Any survivors?"

The black wolf shook his head. "Not in my area, my lord."

The alpha huffed. "Then search more! Spread out. There's bound to be more survivors!" When Blackout tilted his head questioningly, he snarled at him, stepping down off the boulder where he had watched his pack members search the land. "We cannot take the chance of Prime's pack finding out what has happened! I do not want to take the risk. Now, GO!"

Blackout yelped, and spun around before he sprinted off. He wasn't watching where he was going, and he flipped over one of the lifeless wolves that had been limp on the snow behind him. It was half-covered with snow, and was hard to see. Once revealed, it was a white female with blue markings. She had blue eyes that were closed, and would have sparkled like diamonds if she were alive.

But Blackout wasn't interested in figuring out who she was. When Megatron was in a rage, he was no good to be around, so it was wise to scram before his tail became shorter than it already was. He scrambled back onto his paws and leapt over the dead female and ran as fast as he could north.

Megatron perked his ears, listening to the cracking and clumsy thrashing the pathetic wolf made as he made his escape. After the sound of crashing and breaking of sticks disappeared into the silent wind, the alpha jumped back onto the boulder, and curled up in the crook of it and the tree behind it. He sighed sharply, annoyed about the fact that Optimus could catch wind of this incident. He wasn't afraid of Optimus. Not at all. It was just that… Optimus was his brother. He had wanted to persuade him to join his pack some time ago, when Sentinel Prime was killed during their attack when he was a juvenile. Now, Optimus was an enemy, and he couldn't understand it. How could he, his own brother, go against him? How could he turn his back on them? How dare he? Optimus was nothing but a useless coward now. He wasn't brave enough to face his own sibling head on.

The alpha growled at his thoughts. But before he could lull himself to sleep with the thoughts of killing his brother, a sharp voice rang out through the forest.

"My lord!"

Megatron snapped his eyes open, and raised his head. He growled when he saw Starscream in front of him, grinning deviously up at him. Bonecrusher, Blackout, and Soundwave were behind him.

"What is it, Starscream?" Megatron growled, raising to his paws and turning to face his second-in-command.

Starscream ignored the agitation and disgust in his alpha's voice, and raised his head. "We have found one survivor. We caught her running along the river. We thought to end her where she stood, but…" He turned his head, and growled mischievously. "She was too… intriguing to destroy."

Megatron turned his gaze to the wolf behind Starscream. She had very dark grey fur, almost black. She had blue markings around her face and feet. He tail had a blue tip, and it was tucked between her legs. She hung her head low, but he could see the snarl on her muzzle. She had glaring blue eyes that pierced through the other wolves.

Suddenly, he was interested in this female. He jumped down quickly, and raised his tail in dominance. The other wolves backed away, and he approached the female, who growled quietly when he stepped closer. Megatron snapped at her muzzle, missing it by a hair. She instantly cowered down until her belly almost toughed the ground, tucking her tail tighter and flattening her ears. He could feel her fear and anger radiating off of her, and his fur bristled. He stood over her, sniffing various parts on her body. He took in her scent. She smelled the same as all the rest, but her being the last survivor of her pack and her being a female… His pack didn't have any females, did it? He thought for a moment.

When she tried to stand up straighter, he snarled, using his front paws to push her down. She flopped onto her side, and curled in on herself. He sniffed her legs, and between them. He heard her whimper in fear. She suddenly snapped at him when he sniffed lower, and he barked sharply, grabbing her by the muzzle tightly with his teeth. When she silenced and relaxed warily, he let her go and continued with his exploring. Satisfied with the scent he had imbedded in his mind, he studied her face before growling quietly. He then turned away.

"We take her to our territory. We will keep her in the dens until she learns to respect her new pack."

The female's eyes widened and she jumped to her paws, snarling at him. "You can't do that! You can't!"

Megatron was about to snap back at her, but he heard the yelp and Starscream's evil snicker. He listened as his pack shoved the female toward the direction to their original territory. She protested, snapped, and even tried to jump away from them, but one of them seemed to know her every move, and kept her in a line. After multiple tries, she finally gave up, and she hung her head as she marched behind Megatron.

As she trudged along, she looked over her shoulder and saw the white female in the snow that Blackout had fallen over in his mad dash. She whimpered, wishing that she could call out to her mother for help, but she realized the horrifying truth that her mother wouldn't even be able to anything at all to save her daughter. She had a broken leg and shattered teeth from when she had tried to fight off the ruthless pack.

The wind blew calmly through the forest, sending a soft whistling sound through the large trees, the leaves waving in the wind, and a peace settling over the River Pack. The members were all tired. Hound, Wheeljack, and Ironhide had gone hunting again, and had brought back a doe that was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The pack had eaten its fill, along with Stream and Streak, and had settled down. They now were lying around, relaxing and letting their food roll around in their stomachs. Ratchet was with Ironhide, of course. The others were talking to each other, napping in their dens, or just watching their surroundings quietly.

Optimus was alone, though. He was sitting on a small hill, looking to the north where Stream's pack was attacked. He was silent, observing, and listening. He felt the wind as it ran through his red and blue fur. He took in a deep breath, and sighed slowly, thoughtfully. He thought about Megatron. Why had he attacked a small wolf pack like hers? He had heard of her pack before, but had never met anyone within it. He'd heard that it was very small, and contained less than twenty members and few pups. Then he got to thinking of his own pack. He had no females in it, nor any pups either if Bumblebee wasn't counted as a pup anymore.

He closed his eyes, lost in his mind and sorting out solutions to the problem. He thought about where Stream would go, where she'd take her young brother. The silence set in, making him wonder if he was awake anymore. But a small brush on his flank brought him back to the real world, and he looked down at the small pup beside him and smiled.

"Streak? Maybe I help you?"

The small blue and grey pup tilted his head, looking up at the adult with large blue eyes curiously.

"Are you having a self time?"

Optimus blinked, and perked his ears at the pup. "Self time?"

Streak nodded. "Yeah, my momma used to tell me and sissy that whenever dad was on his night walks, he called it his 'self time'. I think it means that he got to talk to himself in his head."

The large red and blue wolf then smiled surely. He realized that Streak meant that he was having a time to himself for a moment and that his father had done the same on nightly patrols. He looked away from the pup for a moment, gathering his words, and then smiled back at him.

"Yes, young one. I was."

"What were you thinkin' bout?" Streak asked.

The Prime chuckled at the pup's curiosity and shrugged. He lowered his body to the snowy ground, and turned his head to Streak, a small smile on his muzzle and his eyes wandering.

"I was just thinking about you and you sister." he replied calmly.

Streak huffed, and lay down beside him in the snow. He was very, very small compared to the large red and blue wolf. Optimus could see the pup's stomach was plump, and knew that he had eaten much at the kill. He was relieved to know that the young one was going to be alright, as well as his sister. When Optimus had visited Stream earlier that day, he could see the pure sadness in her eyes. She had wanted nothing to do with anyone at the time, but he knew that she really needed someone to speak to. At the feeding, she seemed in higher spirits, but was much quieter.

"So why ya thinking 'bout me and my sissy?" Streak asked with his large, innocent blue eyes wide.

The Prime smiled. "I was wondering what would happen to you two when you left."

"Leave?" the pup whimpered. "But I don't want to leave. I like this place!"

Optimus chuckled, and shook his head at the young pup. "That will be you sister's decision, young one."

"Why?"

"Well…" he thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain something like this to the pup. Then he lowered his muzzle and let his eyes fix on the pup. "Stream is much older than you, and she is now your guardian. She had to choose if some things are safe or not for your sake. She cares for you, loves you. That is why she panicked when she could not find you earlier."

Streak suddenly flattened his ears and frowned. A small groan whooshed out from his throat as he sat up. "Ah, she told ya 'bout that?"

He could obviously see the embarrassment on Streak's face, and chuckled in amusement. "No young one. I heard it from Ironhide. You can speak to him about the matter if you wish." He looked up over his shoulder, and smiled. "He is just over there by Ratchet. Go on and talk to him."

The pup turned his small head to the direction Optimus had motioned and wagged his tail. A large grin spread over his small face and his eyes seemed to brighten as he jumped to his paws and bounded off, disappearing over the small hill that led down to the medic and dark wolf. Optimus Prime chuckled. Having a pup around might lift everyone's spirits up, and lighten the dull mood around the dens.

The alpha sighed deeply then and placed his head between his paws. He looked up at the mountains and blinked slowly in thought. He wondered what his brother was doing at that moment. Planning another attack? Tracking other wolf packs to take their territory maybe? He wouldn't know. Not right now. After a while of wandering around in his own world, he heard a new voice penetrate the warm wall of thoughts that surrounded him as well as the crunching of snow.

"Optimus?"

He opened his eyes again. The voice was soft, quiet. It was light, not deep. It was a female voice, and he rose his head to look at Stream's light blue eyes. He perked his ears curiously. He wondered why she had now just come out of her den. Ever since she arrived she had never left her den, and even after she had eaten she didn't go out and explore much at all. She looked to be a very timid creature. She was small, smaller and thinner than Bumblebee. But she looked better than she had been when she had first arrived.

"Yes, Stream, how can I help you?" he inquired politely as he sat up into sitting position. He was much larger than her, he realized. She was fragile-looking, but a very beautiful young wolf. Of course, she was too young for him. That was fine. He didn't need a mate. But then again… he had seen a lone female around that had caught his eye. Elita was her name he believed. He had had a few encounters with her. One of them was a little embarrassing… He wished to not recall it.

Stream sat down beside him, looking up at his eyes. "How long are you willing to let me and my brother stay with your pack?"

Optimus tilted his head in thought for a moment, and then smiled at her. "As long as you will need, young one. Why do you ask?"

She twitched her ears, looking out toward the mountains. "I just wanted to know. I do not know how long we have to stay here, but I didn't want us to be a bother."

He shook his head at her. "No, no! You are not a bother to us. In fact, like Ratchet has said already. We haven't had many visitors in a long time. It is nice to see new faces every now and then."

Stream smiled politely. That was mighty nice to say, and to know that she and Streak weren't a bother to his pack lifted some weight off her shoulders. She listened as the wind blew in her face. She sniffed it, and smelled the scent of dying leaves and heard the faint roar of the waterfall that was not far from this territory. These sounds were peaceful, and they calmed her mind. She looked around at the trees that surrounded her. They were much greener than the ones at her old territory. She guessed that it was because Optimus's home was much closer to the river than hers. She felt depressed again, knowing that she will never again see her family. The only thing that she had left to treasure from her old life was her little brother. It felt horrible. She did not know how to hunt properly, and she wasn't a mother. She had no clue how to care for him. Her mother had done the caring. Stream had only baby-sat when her mother was gone. She had never taken the time to actually watch her mother take care of her second litter.

Stream took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly.

"Ouch!"

Both the female and male wolf turned their heads, alarmed by the cry. They both jumped to their feet and rushed the edge of the hill. But when they saw what had happened and what was still happening, they sighed in relief and laughed. Streak had hold of Ironhide's ear with his teeth and was tugging on it. Ironhide was lying on his side, trying to sit up but with no success. Ratchet was laughing at him while he sat beside him. Others were either laughing or just lying around.

Stream smiled, and then the wind blew into her face from the other direction. And she caught a familiar scent. She sniffed the air some, taking it in, and finding it comforting. She looked down the steep hill, and saw a familiar yellow wolf. He had brown muzzle, ears, stripe running down his sides, and a tail tip. He had bright blue eyes that looked back at her in wonder. She stared back at him for a moment, not sure whether to run to him or to stay where she stood. Then she felt a nudge on her shoulder. She turned her muzzle to look at Optimus, who was smiling at her calmly.

"Go on."

She perked her ears at him, and then turned away and trotted her way down the steep hill. Bumblebee started trotting toward her as well, and they met halfway up.

"Hello, Stream." he said softly.

"Hello, Bumblebee." she replied.

He smiled, and flattened his ears before looking away. "Ah, you can call me Bee if you want. I know my full name is kind of a mouthful."

Stream giggled, and her tail wagged slightly. "Okay, 'Bee'. How are you?"

Bumblebee lifted his head higher. "I am fine. How are you?"

She shrugged her shoulders, looking over her shoulder at her brother with Ironhide. "I am fine, thank you."

He nodded, and looked away distractedly. She leaned her head forward, trying to see if something was wrong, but she was surprised when he turned his head back to look at her their noses touched. She jerked her head back quickly, but he was caught off guard and he jumped backwards in surprise. He fell onto his rear, and he shook his head in a daze. She wagged her tail in amusement, and he laughed too.

She walked to him to check if he could stand, but he wrapped his paws around her neck and pulled her down with him. They tussled with each other for a while, pouncing and play-biting. They kicked up snow, and barked at each other playfully. But at the end, Bumblebee proved to be the winner of that round.

**Thanks for reading! Hope ya like it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**TF Dires**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Oh my gosh! I am so sorry for not posting in a long time. I had so much homework over the last few weeks that I had almost completely forgotten to continue my story! I even had to read the last chapter to remember what had happened last, LOL. Well, sorry for the long wait, please enjoy.**

**Chapter 6**

"Ptewy!"

Prowl looked at the pup and perked his ears. "What is it?"

Streak growled slightly and shook his head, a small white-brown feather stuck to his small muzzle.

"It tastes funny, and the fluffy things get caught in my nose!" Streak said as he pawed at his face before the feather dethatched itself and floated away. He plopped down on the ground and pouted.

Prowl sighed deeply in agitation. He was appointed for pup-sitting that day while Optimus and Jazz took Bumblebee and Stream for their first hunt, and all he had heard from the pup was whining complaints, yapping, and on and on and on about his future, childish plans for his adulthood. It has been already a week, and he had already had enough of the pup. He could pluck his own fur out of its skin! He was sitting a few feet from Streak. He had given him a small dove that Hound had caught earlier. He was going to eat it himself before he heard the pup's stomach growl. So he had given it to him so that he wouldn't hear his whining later.

"Streak…" Prowl moaned quietly. "You're supposed to pluck the feathers, not eat them."

Streak glared at the adult. He and Prowl had not been getting along since they had been left with each other. They had had many arguments on the pup's attitude and complaints.

"Maybe if the others had taken me with them, I wouldn't have to deal with it…" Streak muttered, turning his head away.

Prowl, with his fur starting to bristle on his shoulders and flank, flattened his ears and closed his eyes to try to calm himself. He was never good with pups. Why had he been assigned to pup-duty? _Him _out of all the wolves in the pack, _him_? He just didn't understand. He had always been the quiet one, the thinking one. Yeah, he was patient, but he wasn't a mother for Primus's sake! He was _far _from that…

Slowly, he sat up from his napping spot and picked up the mangled dove. Its feathers were in all different directions, due to the pup's desperate attempts to eat it. But instead he ended up with a mouth full of feathers. One of the wings was bare of the feathers, but only because Streak had shook it to death. Prowl carefully pulled some feathers from the breast, and when the chest of the bird was bare, he dropped the cold dove in front of the pup with a menacing growl that sent the pup cowering into a ball with his tail tucked. When Prowl had turned and gone back to his spot, curled up in a napping position, Stream crept toward the dove, and chewed on the skin. It was tough, but he wasn't complaining. Not after that threat from the older wolf.

From that point on, Prowl could finally get a good nap-out.

"Bee, watch out for that-!"

Before Jazz could finish that warning, the young yellow wolf had fallen into the coyote den before he even saw it in the snow. The young male was unseen for a moment, and Optimus and Jazz wondered if he was stuck. Stream, with her tail raised and her ears perked, carefully padded up to the borrow. It was bigger, big enough for her and Bumblebee to fit in together. It was dark inside and there were mixed scents of coyote, pups, dead prey, and of course now Bumblebee. Jazz and Optimus had smelled it before they even approached the burrow, and hoped that the coyote parents weren't home yet.

Stream hesitantly stuck her muzzle inside the burrow, but just as she did so, a shrill yelp and a lot of yapping was heard and a bundle of yellow fur suddenly sprung backwards out of the burrow with a small, light grey animal snapping at his legs. Bumblebee, tail tucked between his legs, sprinted past Stream as a second coyote appeared and was staring at her with menacing brown eyes. She stared back with mere curiosity. Bumblebee ducked behind Optimus and Jazz, shaking with wide eyes.

Stream looked back at Bumblebee, and then back at the female coyote with a tilted head. The creature snarled at her before padding closer towards her. Stream, feeling shivers from the female's eyes and actually large teeth, started to back up slowly, and then she bolted and slowed to Optimus's side. When the coyote parents saw the two adult, and much, much larger wolves, they quickly turned tail and darted back into the burrow. Before they did though, Stream could see two, dark, tiny, fluffy heads poking out of the opening before their parents scooted them back into their den.

Once the parent shad returned back to their den, Bumblebee perked his ears. Suddenly seeing that it was safe to come out from his hiding spot, he jumped out and approached the den and peered at the burrow.

"Ha! That'll teach ya to mess with us!" he laughed, but when a sharp hiss came from the burrow, he yelped and bolted for Optimus.

The alpha chuckled and let his eyes fall on the den. He had wondered if the two parents had come home from hunting yet or not. But, he guessed that they had come home early to visit with their pups. Thinking that maybe this was a good time to leave the coyote family, Optimus motioned Bumblebee and Stream to move on. As they walked, Bumblebee glanced over by the den, and saw the squirrel he had been chasing before he fell into the burrow. He growled. The squirrel chattered at him, laughing at him as if clung to the oak tree with tiny claws with its furry tail flicking at him as if pointing. He couldn't understand squirrel talk, but he could imagine what the rodent was thinking.

"_Ha ha! You ran to your daddy for help! You little puppy!"_

Just imagining that made him want to climb that tree and bite its head off.

Jazz wagged his tail and smiled at Bumblebee. "Ah, don't worry, Bee! Better luck next time."

The yellow male huffed and flattened his ears.

"Now, Bumblebee," Optimus spoke calmly, "You know better than to have that kind of attitude. This is your first hunt, you couldn't expect the prey to walk up to you and say, 'Eat me!'."

Bumblebee rolled his eyes, twitching his tail slightly in irritation. "I know, I know, sir…"

Stream tilted her head as she trailed along behind the three, and looked back at the squirrel, which was still clinging to the tree's trunk. She bared her teeth and growled quietly, sending the small, furry creature scurrying up the trunk. Satisfied, she turned and trotted to catch up with the others. She hadn't had much luck at hunting herself. She had tried her luck at a beaver, but she found that they had more bite than she had thought. She pawed at her still sore and raw nose from where the beaver had slapped her with its tail.

They had been hunting since dawn. Optimus had promised Stream that he'd take her hunting some time, so since he had promised her this, he thought that it would be a good experience for Bumblebee to come along, hence they were almost the same age. It would be a learning experience.

Well, the pups had had enough experience as it is. They've been slapped by beavers, chased by coyotes, mocked by squirrels, and earlier they had been spooked by a flock of geese that were starting their migration toward the south. The pups were tired, hungry, and wanted to fall asleep in their dens. Bumblebee could picture himself huddled next to Ironhide in their den… Stream could too, only with her brother in their own den.

After a long time of walking, Jazz had barked for their attention up ahead. When they had got there, Optimus sniffed the tracks.

"What are they?" Stream asked, lowering her head to take a closer look at them. The prints were smaller than hers, but these had only three, long, skinny toes. She wondered if it was a duck, but then she saw that they were too big. Maybe they were dove? No, ducks were bigger than dove, so these were a lot bigger. Goose? No… Geese had webbed feet. These did not. She had never seen these tracks before, so she couldn't think of a possible owner.

Optimus studied the tracks for a moment, and then looked back at Stream. "They are from cranes. A few of them had wandered by here on their way to the pong just up ahead."

Bumblebee tiled his head. "Can we eat them?"

Jazz laughed. "We could, but they are big birds. Taller than us, but skinny. They wouldn't be much meat."

The two young Dire wolves looked at each other with wondering eyes before continuing on behind the adults. Stream tried to picture a crane. She heard her parents mention one before, but she didn't know that they were birds. She imagined a stick-like bird that stood on long legs and had tiny wings and a long beak. She giggled at the thought of a big bird that could not fly. Why else would it be walking on the ground instead of flying? There were all types of danger down here; coyotes, badgers, snakes, grey wolves, and even Dire wolves if they had the mind to.

"Hey, Stream,"

She blinked her thoughts away and turned her head toward he yellow wolf beside her. "Huh?"

"Do you think we'll catch anything? Or is this all just some kind of game?" he asked, looking at Optimus's rear in front of him.

Stream looked at the adults in silent thought before shrugging. "I don't know. It might be both."

"Both?" he whispered.

She nodded. "My mother always said that you could treat a hunt like a game. She said that it helped father's mood whenever he missed a prey at hunt. If you consider it a game, then you won't take it as hard as knowing that it's a real hunt."

Bumblebee simply stared at her. How could such a young wolf know so much? Then again these were things her mother had told her and her little brother. He never had a mother to do that. He… never had a mother at all. For as long as he could remember, he didn't remember having a mother, and there certainly were no females in the pack. Come to think of it… no one had ever told him where he had come from. Flashing back to the time he had been held captive by Megatron and had been rescued by his pack, Ironhide had mention something to Ratchet…

"_When had you become so overprotective of him, Ironhide?"_

"_Since you left me this yellow bundle of joy…"_

Bumblebee frowned at that memory. When Ironhide had said that, did he mean that Ratchet could…? Was Ratchet able to… er… have pups? But how was that possible? He was a male, wasn't he? Well, at least Bumblebee thought he was.

"Bumblebee?"

He looked up to see that Optimus had stopped walking and, having been closed in on his thoughts, he had bumped into his tail. Jazz was up ahead with Stream near the pond.

"Yes, sir?" he replied rather quietly.

The Prime turned around slightly so that he had a better look of the pup. "Is something bothering you?"

Bumblebee looked down for a moment, and then perked his ears.

"Optimus, where did I come from?" he asked, curiosity flowing through his eyes.

Optimus suddenly halted to a sharp stop, stunned into silence surprisingly. The fur on his shoulders and tail bristled slightly, and his light blue eyes seemed to grow dim with fright and worry. It shocked Bumblebee, for he had never seen such emotions from the Prime before. Did he say something wrong? If so, what did he say? Was it something he did? He couldn't think of anything. All he knew was that Optimus had been shocked by something, and it must have been something important.

The alpha reluctantly shifted his gaze towards where Jazz and Stream had walked through the brush. Seeing that the two other wolves had disappeared, he lowered his head in thought.

_Oh, Primus… help me…_

With that helpless thought in his mind that seemed to go unanswered, the Prime lifted his head up and let out a long and very distressed sigh. How was he going to tell the young wolf about how he had come along into the pack? How would he say it without hurting his feelings, feeling like he had been lied to? Optimus had hoped that he could keep it all stored away in his distant mind long enough for him to forget, but he could never forget. He at least hoped that Bumblebee would have asked when he was older…

"Bumblebee… I believe it is time that I told you something."

Bumblebee tilted his head in curiosity at his older friend. "What is it?"

Optimus swallowed, and sat down before looking the pup in the eye. "Bumblebee, please sit down." When Bumblebee did so, he continued. "A long time ago, I was hunting on my own on a normal noon… It was after Sentinel Prime had been killed…"

The young wolf perked his ears. He loved hearing stories, but one from his pack alpha was just as special.

"… I was on the heels of a deer… so intrigued in the hunt that I did not watch where my paws landed. I leapt over a log, and just after I took three mere paw steps, I tripped over something else."

"Did the deer get away?" Bumblebee asked, liking the story so far.

Optimus frowned calmly at him. "Shush, Bumblebee," When he saw the disappointment on his face, he sighed. "Yes, the deer ran off. But that is not the point."

"When I looked to see what I had tripped over, I saw a female dire wolf behind me. I first thought that I hit her, but when I called her, checked her… I saw that she was no more."

"She was dead?"

"Yes, she was, young one."

Bumblebee tilted his head again. "What did she look like?"

The Prime sighed, and went back to his memories. He saw her. And he closed his eyes.

"Her fur was yellow, and she had a brown stripe down her back." He wanted to keep the gore of the situation hidden in his mind, so he kept quiet about it.

Bumblebee blinked and suddenly had a sympathetic expression on his face. "She looked like me…"

Optimus nodded. "No, young one. You look more like her, than she you. When I looked closer, I saw a small pup next to her."

The young wolf perked his ears. "Was it okay?"

Optimus took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He held his head a little higher.

"He was, but he was too young, and was still drinking milk. I was scared of what to do, but I brought him to the pack."

"Then what happened?" Bumblebee asked.

"The pack let him stay with us, until he perished. But he lived when a female grey wolf accepted him to nurse her when she and her own three pups arrived a few days later. Soon, we became fond of the little pup."

Bumblebee's eyes widened. "What happened to it?"

Optimus smiled calmly, but then his eyes showed sadness. "Nothing. We named him."

"What was his name?"

Optimus looked Bumblebee in the eye, and his expression was mixed, so the young wolf could not put his paw on what his friend was feeling. It took a long moment for Optimus to answer, and when he did his eyes were grave, sad, dreading.

"Bumblebee."

The young wolf's eyes widened and he sat up abruptly. Did he hear right? Surely, _surely _Optimus Prime wasn't talking about him. Him! How could it be? He didn't remember much from his pup-hood, much less that he ever had a mother. He didn't remember having a mother to snuggle up with at night. All he remembered, was Ironhide. Ironhide was Ironhide telling him stories, Ironhide scolding him when he had done wrong, Ironhide when asked a question Ironhide _everything. _Optimus and Ratchet and the others were there, too. But, if you considered one to act as his mother, it was Ironhide. Ironhide was always the one protecting him, loving him, caring for him. One could guess that Ironhide _was _his mother, in Bumblebee's eyes. Just a male, not female, and he never called Ironhide his mother.

"You… you mean that that pup… was me?" Bumblebee inquired quietly, his ears flattening.

Optimus nodded. "Yes, young one."

Bumblebee blinked in shock, but yet normal surprise. He wasn't sure to be angry that no one told him this earlier, happy that he was with the pack now, or sad that his mother was dead, and that he never knew about it. But then, a memory came back to him. He could see her now. He could see her warm blue eyes, feel her soft fur, hear her calm breathing. He could remember her. But he also remembered lying next to her. She was no longer warm, no longer breathing calmly, her eyes were not blue and soft anymore. She was not alive. But he did not understand what was wrong then. All he knew was that she wouldn't move.

The young wolf was in silence for a while, and Optimus feared that he was about to do something drastic, in anger or sadness maybe, but he wasn't sure. He was about to say something, but then a voice broke their silence.

"Optimus, I caught something!"

The alpha sighed quietly, and then smiled at Stream calmly as she ran towards the two with a small quail in her jaws. Her tail was wagging happily and her eyes were shining like stars. For a moment, Bumblebee had forgotten completely about the previous conversation. But then he remembered, and hung his head slightly.

"That is very good, Stream. Did you catch it on your own?" Optimus questioned as he stood up.

Stream nodded and when she spoke her voice was muffled by the bird. "Yes, Jazz helped track it, and I caught it."

"She did pretty good, Prime." Jazz said as he trekked behind her from the brush. "She was so excited about catching her first prey that she left me behind to show you."

Stream flattened her ears slightly in embarrassment. "Oops… sorry, Jazz."

The grey wolf smiled and nudged her shoulder with his nose. "It's absolutely fine, Stream."

Optimus then smiled at her. "It is quite natural for one to be fascinated about their first kill, young one. It is no surprise that you were in such a rush. You did a good job on your first hunt."

"I want to go home."

The three wolves looked at Bumblebee who was looking at them with blank eyes. Once stating this, Bumblebee stood up and turned around, leaving them to watch him walk away. Stream placed her quail on the ground and tilted her head at Optimus.

"What's wrong with him?"

The alpha shook his head at her. "He is… just tired from today's hunt." He then looked up at the sky, seeing dark clouds forming and feeling a small drop of rain tap his nose. "It will be pouring down soon. It is best we return to the dens."

The other two wolves nodded in agreement. Stream picked up her bird and followed the two older wolves as they trotted to catch up with Bumblebee, who was already some ways ahead of them. As he walked, he couldn't help but feel angry, but also sad about his past.

**Sorry, this was a lazy part and very rushed. And I apologize that it took so long for me to post. Hope you like it. ^.^'**


	7. Chapter 7

**TF Dires**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Dang, school's got me stacked up and busy. And Antubis0, I have read your journal entry, and it touched me, thank you so much! And I've read the beginning of Riverbank, it's awesome! Anyway, this is not a very long chapter, just something to post in my free time. I will add more to it later, so if you want you can check up on it every now and then. I hope you enjoy! :) Everybody enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 7**

Her eyes were closed as she was lost in a light, unsettling, and very agitated slumber. Her muzzle twitched in a snarl every now and then, and her tail swished on the dirt ground while her legs kicked out every now and then. The black fog grasped her in its choking clutches, and it seemed to be squeezing the air out of her lungs. It was becoming hard to breathe, and her nightmare was never-ending.

Suddenly she shrieked, kicking her legs out and sitting up abruptly, her fur bristled and her body shivering uncontrollably. Her breathing was shallow, quick pants as she tried to catch her breath and her head was hurting. After several seconds of calming down, she had settled back down and was licking her paw, which had shallow claw marks running up to her elbow from her mid-leg. Then she went to licking the dried bite wound on her shoulder. After having cleaning it, she could see each individual tooth mark in her skin. She shuddered, remembering the day before. So to keep from breaking down in sobs again, she studied the scratch on her hind leg. Then she looked around at her den.

It was quite small, only able to hold two wolves. It was dark and dry, but muddy in some places where water had built up into puddles. A large root from one of the great oaks had ventured its way into the den, and made a room-like structure at the back of the den. Her head, when sitting up, could touch the roof of the den, limiting her movement. The most she could do in this space was lie down, crouch, or sit in a slouched way. But the worst part, was that the den had a very small tunnel connecting it to Megatron's den, really limiting her actions. It was just big enough for Megatron to squeeze himself through into his own den. Megatron, though, was outside speaking with some of the wolves. She was not allowed to go through, and she was not curious enough to even go near the tunnel and kept well away from it.

"She-wolf?"

She looked up, her ears flattening and her body instantly lowering to the ground. Her tail curled around her flank as she gazed up at the brown wolf, whose soft red eyes stared at her from the den entrance. When the female saw who the wolf was, she relaxed. Bonecrusher was one of the lower wolves in Megatron's pack, thankfully. But, that still didn't make much of a difference, for she was a prisoner in this territory.

The male perked his ears for a moment, turning his head to check over his shoulder, as if checking for something before entering the den. He held a small piece of raw flesh in his jaws, still dripping with blood droplets. He placed it on the ground in front of her, but she cowered away from it, despite her growing hunger pains that pinched her stomach.

"You should eat. You haven't for two days. You will die of starvation if you don't." Bonecrusher growled gently.

The grey and blue female's mouth quivered and anger flashed in her eyes before she turned her head away so that he could not see it. She had let Megatron see her glare once, and he chewed her out, leaving all of these wounds on her body.

"I'm not hungry…" she mumbled under her breath.

Bonecrusher raised his tail slightly, flattening his ears. "You need to eat. You may say that you are not hungry, but I can hear your stomach clear as day."

The female growled. "Maybe if you kill me, then you wouldn't have to worry about taking care of me…"

"You know I can't do that! This has been going on for a whole week, and I am sick and tired of it. If necessary, I will have to ask Megatron to make you eat. And you know as well as I do, that he will not do it lightly."

"Why should I eat? I don't want to live anymore!"

"And why ever not?" Bonecrusher pushed.

"Because I don't want to live as your alpha's mate!" she snarled, not able to stop the fury that broke out. But when she realized what she had said, she gasped and spun around before curling up in the back of the small den.

Bonecrusher, who was snarling, blinked a few times before softening his expression. He lowered his tail and sighed. "Female, please. You must eat. I would hate for you to be killed in a violent way at Megatron's paws. And dying by hunger is a very long and painful death, a suffering death. Please," he lowered his head, scooting the meat closer to her. "Eat, for your sake…"

She sobbed, feeling the stabbing pains again from hunger. She really wanted to eat, but she didn't want to live in this living Hell any longer. She missed her home, her family, her pack, a decent meal. But she chose not to eat, for it would mean living in this prison longer. How could she ever try to expand her life in such a place? In such a horrible pack? She would never dream of it.

This, was a living nightmare.

The wind had died down slightly, now only a simple breeze ruffling the leaves of the oaks and the needles of the pines. It had snowed the night before, but only by a few inches. Everything was completely white now, no leaves showing except the ones revealed by the wind. The world was cold, and one could see his breath in the air.

Optimus Prime was sitting in his usual spot on the rocks, letting the breeze brush his fur, his ears perked to pick up any sounds other than the peaceful nature of the forest. He was lost in his thoughts as always, but he was troubled now, and very frustrated.

"Prime?" a familiar voice called behind him.

Optimus didn't have to look to see who it was. "Yes, Ratchet?"

The older wolf tilted his head to see his alpha's face better. "You are bothered by something?"

The Prime was silent for a moment, unsurprisingly. This was a subject that he wasn't in a mood to discuss, but he knew that keeping it from his medic would only make the old wolf even crankier. If that was possible… He thought for a moment, wondering if it was even worth speaking to him about. But, having found his decision, he lowered his head so that his chin touched his chest.

"Ratchet, I have spoken to Bumblebee about a certain matter." Optimus began hesitantly.

Before the Prime could continue, Ratchet's eyes widened. "Do not tell me that you have told him what I think you have told him…"

Optimus turned his head slightly. "I am afraid so, my friend."

"But WHY?" the medic growled. "You promised that you would never tell him about it! You know as well as you do that it may change his thoughts on us."

"Ratchet," Optimus spoke quietly, "Bumblebee does not deserve to live his whole life wondering where he came from, nor how he had come to be with us, seeing as there are no females." He gave the medic a soft, tired glance.

Ratchet's anger didn't die down so quickly. "Optimus-,"

The Prime's eyes collected a soft warning, and the yellow-green wolf sighed in defeat. Then he sat beside Optimus, his eyes dim and his fur a bit bristled. "Well tell me this. How did you come to tell him about it to begin with?"

Optimus blinked slowly, recalling back the day when the conversation took place. Then he spoke. "He asked me where he had come from."

The medic's eyes softened, and he nodded as he felt a calmness wash over him. "And… how did he react?"

"He was quite shocked, and I believe that he grew angry, which was the reason he arrived before us when we returned home on that hunt."

Ratchet sighed heavily, understanding his leader's intentions and feeling guilty for snapping at him. But he could tell that the Prime was not focused on the medic's sudden outburst. The Prime seemed more thoughtful on Bumblebee's thoughts toward him, the pack.

Meanwhile, in Ironhide's den, Bumblebee was remaking his bedding area, digging up some soft dirt and dragging small oak branches into the den. He had been doing for the sake of clearing his mind. Since he had heard the news of his past, he had not been mad particularly at Optimus, or any of the pack members at that matter. He… he just wished that he could remembered everything before The River Pack. But he was so young… how could he? But still, he couldn't help but remember how it must have felt to feel a mother's warmth.


End file.
